HAPPENED. PATRINA: SOME OCU STUDENTS I TALKED TO WERE ALREADY DISAPPOINTED THEY COULD NOT WALK THE STAGE DURING THEIR GRADUATION TODAY. THEN THEY WERE DEALT ANOTHER BLOW WHEN THEIR VIRTUAL COMMENCEMENT WAS HACKED. >> MY GRANDMA, MY MOM SAW IT AND THEY WERE HEARTBROKEN BY IT. >> ONE STUDENT ONLINE WITH HIS FAMILY ON ONE OF THE BIGGEST DAYS OF HIS GRADUATION DAY. YOUNG LIFE, HAPPINESS AS HIS NAME - SCROLLED ACROSS THE SCREEN AND THEN DISAPPOINTMENT FOLLOWING A PRAYER. >> THE SCREEN WENT BLACK AND THEN ALWAYS WE SAW WAS THE AND WORD AND A SWASTIKA. >> AND THAT WAS THE END OF THEIR GRADUATION CELEBRATION. >> GREG TELLING ME BY PHONE HE DID NOT GET TO SEE HIS DAUGHTER’S NAME - THE GRADUATION ENDED IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE RACIAL SLURS APPEARED. >> LOT OF MONEY, LOT OF HARD WORK GOING ACROSS. IT IS JUST SAD. >> OCU’S PRESIDENT SAYING THE UNIVERSITY IS HEARTBROKEN AND OUTRAGED, AND WANTS TO BE CLEAR -QUOTE - OCU STANDS AGAINST RACISM, BIGOTRY, AND ANTI-SEMITISM. ALTHOUGH WE TOOK SAFETY PRECAUTIONS, UNFORTUNATELY THE DIGITAL PLATFORM WE USED TO CONNECT HAS BECOME A TARGET. THE UNIVERSITY HAS INITIATED A REPORT TO FEDERAL AND STATE AUTHORITIES. >> DESPITE THE HATE, YOU CANNOT TAKE AWAY

Oklahoma City University's virtual graduation ceremony was hacked Saturday, with university officials saying "an unknown source was able to display racist and offensive language."Some OCU students told KOCO 5 that they were already disappointed they couldn't walk during their graduation on campus because of the coronavirus pandemic, but someone delivered another blow by hacking into their virtual graduation."My grandma, my mom saw it, and they were heartbroken," Leondre Lattimore said.Lattimore was online with his family for one of the biggest days of his young life. Happiness sparked as his and his classmates' names scrolled across the screen.Then, after a classmate's speech, Lattimore said the screen went black."Then all we saw was the N-word and a swastika," he said.A father of a graduate, who only wanted to be identified as Greg, said he didn't get to see his daughter's name because the virtual ceremony ended immediately after the racial slurs appeared."And that was the end of the graduation," Greg said. "A lot of money, a lot of hard work going across. It's just sad."OCU President Martha Burger expressed her heartbreak and outrage on social media."OCU stands against racism, bigotry and anti-Semitism," Burger said. "Although we took safety precautions, unfortunately the digital platform we used to connect has become a target. The university has initiated a report to federal and state authorities."Lattimore said the incident is not taking away from what he and his fellow graduates worked so hard for."Despite the hate, you can't take away what we earned, and that's the degree," Lattimore said.

OKLAHOMA CITY —

Oklahoma City University's virtual graduation ceremony was hacked Saturday, with university officials saying "an unknown source was able to display racist and offensive language."

Some OCU students told KOCO 5 that they were already disappointed they couldn't walk during their graduation on campus because of the coronavirus pandemic, but someone delivered another blow by hacking into their virtual graduation.

Lattimore was online with his family for one of the biggest days of his young life. Happiness sparked as his and his classmates' names scrolled across the screen.

Then, after a classmate's speech, Lattimore said the screen went black.

"Then all we saw was the N-word and a swastika," he said.

A father of a graduate, who only wanted to be identified as Greg, said he didn't get to see his daughter's name because the virtual ceremony ended immediately after the racial slurs appeared.

"And that was the end of the graduation," Greg said. "A lot of money, a lot of hard work going across. It's just sad."

OCU President Martha Burger expressed her heartbreak and outrage on social media.

"OCU stands against racism, bigotry and anti-Semitism," Burger said. "Although we took safety precautions, unfortunately the digital platform we used to connect has become a target. The university has initiated a report to federal and state authorities."

Lattimore said the incident is not taking away from what he and his fellow graduates worked so hard for.

"Despite the hate, you can't take away what we earned, and that's the degree," Lattimore said.